Typical direct acting solenoid valves employ an armature containing a seal which is held against an orifice by a spring. Fluid pressure acts over the orifice area either against or with the spring load, giving a tendency either to leak or prevent opening of the valve. Some solenoid valves employ “balanced” armatures where the pressure across the orifice is counteracted by pressure across a seal of the same effective diameter as the orifice. This results in a significantly reduced load across the armature, particularly at higher pressure differentials. Balanced valves may have a significant seal frictional force that the valve needs to overcome to operate. The frictional forces typically increase with increasing pressure differential between the ports of the valve and with increasing seal diameter.